1789 - Revisited

Last night I had a chance to go back to 1789 and try out parts of Chef Nathan Beauchamp's fall menu, and I must say I was incredibly impressed. If you remember, the first trip I made to 1789 ended with mixed results (i.e., I liked it, Jill didn't).

Some of the highlights of the meal (frankly, there wasn't a real miss on the menu - everything seemed to work) were the cured arctic char with heirloom beets and black pepper crackers. The char and beets, together with a bit of creme fraiche that was served as well made for an incredibly light first course that really paved the way for a fantastic meal.

The fourth course was a tortellini with briased pork that was served with butternut squash and sage. Served with a wonderful Steele Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County, CA (2005), the tortellini screamed fall (actually, it didn't make any noise, but it was incredibly tasty) and went well with the squash/sage combination of flavors.

The meal ended with a vanilla poached pear, which was wonderfully light, and a "caramel hazelnut bon bon", which met with mixed reactions within the group, with everyone sitting at my table really liking it (they liked its complexity and the fact that it was slightly out of the ordinary) and everyone sitting at the table next to mine being pretty unimpressed (I don't think they liked the surprise all that well).

Again, the service was incredible and the food and wine pairings were nothing short of perfect. I said in my last post about 1789 that I wouldn't return to pay full price for a meal there - make it official - I'm taking that back.